PFFC - April 2008 - (Page 20)

NEWS CLIPS AIMCAL Energizes Business Leaders By Yolanda Simonsis, Assoc. Publisher/Editor PALM SPRINGS, CA | It’s no secret that winter meetings for most associations are anything but grueling, particularly when they’re held at such posh resorts as Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa. But there’s no denying this year’s meeting planners for the March 9–12 Assn. of Industrial Metallizers, Coaters & Laminators (AIMCAL) energized its business leader members with a roster of animated speakers who held the attention of the nearly 120 registered attendees and offered valuable tools to improve their businesses. On Monday keynote speaker Commander Kirk Lippold, former commander of the USS Cole, captivated attendees with a first-hand account of the suicide terrorist attack by al Qaeda on October 12, 2000, in the port of Aden, Yemen. Entitled “Leadership and Accountability When It Matters,” Lippold’s presentation illustrated how a leader must react instinctively when his crew is in mortal danger. His memories were complemented by close-up photographs depicting the results of one of the most brazen acts of terrorism. The comparison between Commander Cole’s horrific experience and his quick but calculated response with that of business leaders under extreme economic pressures—while not life threatening— drew recognition. Preparedness and responsiveness to quickly changing events that affect businesses are not merely recommended, they are mandatory. The remainder of the AIMCAL program supported the first session’s message, beginning with a roundtable, moderated by Mark Spaulding of Converting, and including Bill Stratton from Adhesives Research; Pradeep Tyle from Uflex; Steve Jackson from Amcor Flexibles; Dante Ferrari from Celplast; Eric Maerklein of Brady Coated Products; and Bob Connelly of Madico. Each panelist answered prepared questions that addressed how they have dealt with customer demands, growing sales in a budget-conscious environment, combating cheap imports, investing for the future, and the impact of sustainable efforts. Drawing the most participation from the audience was the subject of sustainability when Jessica Bodine of Mica Corp. intimated that each audience member must personally promote the value of the products our industry manufactures, specifically referencing the developing misinterpretation of plastic bag recyclability. As editor of PFFC, I agreed that if our industry is not proactive on this issue, we may once again find ourselves in a defensive position about the our industry’s products (also see PFFC, March ’08, p14) similar to the dilemma we experienced in the late ’90s, when clean air initiatives threatened to shut down some converting businesses. The evening event included an awards banquet reception honoring metallized product winners, with Grafo Regia singled out as the winner of the Peter Rigney Top Product of the Year for its conversion of Harina Tortillas Selecta (see March ’08, p52). On Tuesday Rick Farrell of Tangent Knowledge Systems shared his first-hand Continued on p22 WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM PFFC-ASAP 114 20 | APRIL 2008 http://www.namfg.com http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/penton/pffc0308/index.php?startid=52 http://WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of PFFC - April 2008

PFFC - April 2008 Table of Contents First Glance Calendar of Events From the Editor Web Lines Process Management News Clips Narrow Web & Label Reporter Narrow Web & Label What’s New Products Carton & Box Reporter Carton & Box What’s New Products Green Converting Pouchmaking Show Preview Flexible Packaging Gravure Printing What's New Products Services Directory Classifieds Marketplace Equipment Buyers & Sellers Advertisers Index Experience Speaks

PFFC - April 2008

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